Dubai Design Week 2023: the must-see design event of the Middle East

The ninth edition of Dubai Design Week starts today, and this year it also celebrates the 10th anniversary of Downtown Design, the fair that is the core of the event. "Rethink the Regular" is the call launched for 2023 and aims to spread an increasingly sustainability-oriented design culture.

“Through Dubai Design Week, we look forward to providing a platform for extraordinary talent hailing from d3 and the UAE, the broader region, and beyond, to exhibit their work and influences globally. This year, as always, talent will embrace our call to Rethink the Regular and springboard brilliant ideas, creations and perspectives that show us where the creative compass points”, said Khadija Al Bastaki, senior vice president of d3.


Eco-sostenible wall Voronoi in PLA - Sharjah University students 

Dubai is hosting over 25 installations that are the result of the convergence between design, technology and science, and that aim at imagining and promoting new sustainable practices through public and immersive interventions.

Among the highlights of the program stands out Downtown Design, which this year marks a decade of contemporary design, involving more than 300 brands and designers from the region and the world. For its tenth anniversary, globally renowned brands participate in this edition of Downtown Design, presenting the latest collections and products, such as the Cosenza brand Cassina. Flexform also makes its debut in the Emirates, presented by Obegi Home, with a large outdoor showcase right in the heart of the fair; or Poltrona Frau, a “Made in Italy” excellence.


Cosentino, GK07 Ceppo and VK02 Avorio - Dekton Pietra Kode

Among the international participants, we find the Milanese design district Isola, with "Anatolia" a group exhibition that recreates the atmosphere of the Silk Road. The booth is created in collaboration with Grob Design and recreates a Kervansaray, the resting place for caravans and travelers on the ancient trade route.

Isola is also featured in d3 as part of the curated exhibitions program-a central event of Dubai Design Week, which features seven curated exhibitions this year-with the traveling exhibition "Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens." In keeping with the theme launched by Dubai Design Week, Isola presents a selection of circular products and collectibles displayed within a space designed by design studio Tellurico and made from recycled plastic materials. The Isola exhibition is a dynamic hub that offers, in addition to the exhibition, numerous design talks, presentations and workshops that aim to popularize new creative processes and new lines of thought, oriented toward the concept of circularity and regeneration.


© Materiazione - Pieghe

ABWAB also returns for the 2023 edition, a platform that every year promotes talent from across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Architect Abdalla Almulla was assigned the main commission of the festival: “Of Palm” a pavilion whose structure, interiors and design objects on display derive from the native palm and are brought to life through conferences and workshops inspired by this organic material.

Also animating the rich program of Dubai Design Week 2023 is the annual Urban Commissions competition, which invites designers and architects to propose innovative outdoor furniture products adhering to a sustainable and responsible approach. Conferences, workshops and masterclasses are also an essential part of the 2023 programme, with the aim of allowing the public to experiment and learn directly from industry professionals, professors from world-renowned institutions and artisans.

Finally, the Marketplace in the center of the Dubai Design District will allow visitors to discover and take home the best of design created by creatives, artisans and small businesses. Encouraged by the success of previous editions, this year Dubai Design Week aims to bring more than 150,000 visitors to the Dubai Design District (d3), involving architects, designers, thought leaders, influencers and amateurs from all over the world.